UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 6, Page 5
October 10, 1991
In new conference; Field hockey team aiming for NAC tournament

     Players in yellow shirts and blue plaid, pleated skirts dash
across the field in synchronized strides, pursuing  the ball and
making powerful drives with their hockey sticks.
     This scene was replayed countless times in late August as the
women's field hockey players practiced six hours a day in an effort
to continue their long history of success, said senior history
major Meghan Mulqueen, who is one of three co-captains.
     The other two co-captains, seniors Renee Berardelli and Cathy
Alderman, agreed that the practice paid off and the University
women's field hockey team is in top shape for its most competitive
season ever. Berardelli is a hotel and restaurant managment major
and Alderman is a communication major.
     "Now we play up to six days a week including games and
practices," Berardelli said."It's both physically and mentally
demanding."
     The Blue Hens have been a success from the start in 1971.
Entering the 1991 season, the team has won nearly 70 percent of its
contests.
     According to head coach MaryBeth Holder, the Blue Hens won the
East Coast Conference (ECC) championship last year and have been
consistenly ranked among the top 20 teams in the nation.
     The team's legacy includes six national championship
appearances, including a second place national finish in 1978 and
a third place NCAA finish in 1982. The team has won the ECC four
times and has appeared amnong the top teams in the country in the
polls in all but one season since the survey started in 1978.
     On Sept. 29, the Hens were ranked 20th in the nation. However,
as of Oct. 7, with a 3-6-1 record, the Hens will probably not be
among the country's leaders in the next poll. But a satisfying 2-1
victory on Oct. 6 over16th-ranked Boston University should help
improve the team's confidence for the remainder of the season.
     "We have at least 10 nationally ranked teams on our schedule,"
Holder said. "The competition will be tough this season, but we're
learning from every game. We have five seniors and five juniors on
our starting line-up, so we have a lot of experience."
     Alderman pointed out that last year's entire starting line-up,
graduated last May, so the team will have to work hard to remain
competitive.
     "We've gone through a lot of changes this year," Berardelli
said. "We've changed our conference to one with tougher teams, and
we've also changed our surfaces, which means we've had to become
versatile enough to play well on grass and on turf."
     Now in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC),  the team will be
competing against bigger, nationally ranked teams such as Boston
University and Northeastern University and the University of New
Hampshire.
     "We have a better skilled, very talented team this year,"
Alderman said.  "But we are still in an adapting stage."
     Holder added," There are certain parts of the game we need to
focus on a bit more."
     "Different surfaces require a completely different style of
play," Alderman explained.  "Turf makes for a much faster, skillful
game than grass. Decision making and ability to react are more
intense on turf."
     " I like turf better," Mulqueen said, "but as a team we are
better on grass since we do not have the turf facilities here at
Delaware. It is a real disadvantage," she added, "since we have
about six or seven turf games with top schools that do have the
practice facilities."
     The team will compete in six conference games during the
regular season, which extends through Nov. 3. The outcome of the
league contests will determine which teams qualify for the NAC
tournament.
     "As seniors and captains," Berardelli said, "our goal is to
make it to the NAC tournament."
     Only the top four teams will compete in the tournament, Holder
said.
     Alderman added,"We also want to make a name for Delaware in
the new conference."
     Though it will be a challenging season, the players have high
expectations and steady determination.
     The new conference has resulted in longer travel time to away
games. We did more fun things outside of hockey last year that we
don't have the time for anymore,"  Berardelli said.
     However, the long hours on the bus have made the team bond
even stronger.
     "We are willing to make an extra effort for our teammates
because we know they would do it for us," Alderman said.
     "The essential part of our team is that we are all very close
friends," Berardelli added. "We build off of and support each
other.  This brings us together and is essential for our success."
                                        - Gabriela Marmo